*NEW* Where The Wild Things Are Planning

This detailed, ready-to-teach unit of work is based on the much-loved text Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The planning engages young people in Max’s imaginative adventure to the land of the Wild Things and uses the narrative journey as a strong model for developing recount writing. With sensory storytelling, prediction tasks, character exploration and story-mapping activities, pupils build the communication and literacy skills needed to retell Max’s story in sequence and with growing independence.

The sequence is built with learners working from pre-formal, semi-formal, formal and formal+ pathways, including those with communication differences, and ensures every pupil can access the text and produce evidence of progress. Each lesson includes structured learning objectives, modelling opportunities, key vocabulary and success criteria drawn from SOLAR/EHCP outcomes.

What’s included

• Six fully-planned sessions:
• Sensory storytelling
• Prediction and vocabulary development
• Comprehension and questioning
• Sequencing key events
• Story planning using a story mountain
• Writing a structured recount
• Separate activities for Pre-formal, Semi-formal, Formal and Formal+ pathways
• Attention Autism integration in every session
• Visual scaffolds including symbol-supported sentence building
• Colourful Semantics approach embedded throughout
• British Values and SMSC mapped across the unit
• Clear assessment links and differentiated success criteria
• Opportunities for adult modelling and structured independence
• Final written outcome: a short narrative recount of Max’s journey

Curriculum focus and skill development

• Understanding and recalling a familiar narrative
• Sequencing events using appropriate temporal language
• Applying sentence-building skills using nouns, verbs and descriptive vocabulary
• Developing full-sentence communication and mark-making into writing
• Meaningful connections to phonics, Zones of Regulation and preparation for adulthood pathways
• Emotional literacy through discussion of behaviour, feelings and consequences

Intended outcomes

By the end of this unit, pupils will have:

• Understood and engaged with rhythm, structure and character within a familiar story
• Sequenced key events using images and language prompts
• Planned a simple story recount using a scaffold or story map
• Written or co-created a personalised recount of Max’s adventure, demonstrating progress in communication, literacy and independence